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Wenger - Good response is absolutely key

Arsène Wenger believes the way his side respond to their opening-day defeat to Aston Villa will play a key role in defining their season.

The Gunners were beaten 3-1 by Paul Lambert’s side on Saturday, and picked up a host of injuries at Emirates Stadium.

What is important is to rebuild confidence before Wednesday night. It is a massive game for us

Arsène Wenger

They face Fenerbahce in the first leg of their Champions League play-off on Wednesday and Wenger believes his side will quickly get back to their best.

“It is important not to let the mood drop - after such a disappointing start that will be the difficulty,” the manager said. “We will bounce back because the spirit and focus in the team is good, but I don't deny that this is a massive disappointment for us.

“We missed chances, we were a bit unlucky and we got some injuries, all three together. It is a fragile position. There was bit of fatigue as well after [the midweek] international games and all that together created this [result].

“What is important is to rebuild confidence before Wednesday night. It is a massive game for us. There is always a lot of danger in a team because it is a human activity multiplied by 25 - it means the negativity can spread quickly.

“It is the first game of the season and we want to bounce back from it. Our season will depend on how we respond to this defeat.”

Copyright 2015 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the sourceRob Kelly18 Aug 2013

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